Cotton cleaning and condensing machine.



ape/ to's PATENTED OCT. 17, 1905.

B. REAGAN. COTTON CLEANING AND GONDENSING MACHINE APPLICATION FILED SEPT 20 1904' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDGAR REAGAN, OF FLORESVILLE, TEXAS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 17', 1905.

Application filed September 20, 1904. Serial No. 225.224.

T0 aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDGAR REAGAN, a citi- Zen of the United States, residing at Floresville, in the county of Wilson and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cotton Cleaning and Condensing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to cotton cleaning and condensing machinery; and it has for its object to provide a simple, durable, and comparatively inexpensive machine for cleaning the cotton fiber and forming it into a bat as it leaves the gin in preparation for the balingpress; and it consists of the parts and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure l is a side elevation of my improved machine; Fig. 2, a similar view with the side frame of casing removed, and Fig. 3 a detail view of a portion of the drum and concaved screen.

Similar letters refer to similarparts throughout all the views.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the casing for the machine, which is preferably formed with the curved top and the inclined or converging bottom having an opening provided with a hinged door B for the removal of the dirt and trashwhich accumulates there in during the operation of the machine. At its discharge end the casing provided with a hinged door C, with a pane'of glass framed therein, whereby access may be had to the interior of the casing when desired and also the operation of the machine observed. At the opposite or receiving end of the casing a feed chute D is provided, which. connects with the ginning machinery and delivers the cotton therefrom to the cleaning mechanism,

said chute being provided with a glass-covered observation opening E. The cotton lint is carried through the chute D by the blast from the gin. Arranged and suitably supported within the casing is a concaved screen F. This screen may be of wire mesh with transverse ribs G secured in any preferred manner thereon, or it may be of perforated sheet metal. The ribs G may be formed by fiuting the material out of which the screen F is formed, if preferred. A drum I-I, composed of perforated sheet metal or wire-gauze, having fingers a secured in rows at suitable distance apart, is secured on. a shaft 6, which extends through the sides of the casing and has its bearings in adjustable j ournal-boxes c, which are supported outside the casing on the diagonalbars a, which extend across the casing. The fingers a are preferably formed with shoulders which abut against the surface of the drum and With reduced'and threaded ends which extend through the drum in order to receive anut e thereon to hold the fingers in place. In Fig. 2 is shown the end of one of the fingers with the nut thereon. The drum H is arranged over the concaved screen F and may be adjusted toward or from either end of said screen in order to regulate the thickness of the bat passing therebetween. This is accomplished by means of the screw-rods f, which extend through threaded split collars g, secured in the frame of the casing at each side to lugs h on the sliding bearing 0, said boxes being slidably held on the bars cl by means of bolts '6, secured to said bars and extending through slots j in the boxes 0 and having nuts thereon to guide and hold the boxes in position. The rods f are formed or provided with crankhandles whereby they may be easily turned, and when turned move the boxes along the rods d toward either end of the concaved screen, as desired.

K represents the upper receiving-roller, and L the lower receiving roller. These rollers are arranged at the discharge end of and within the casing and receive the lint from the drum H and com ress the same into a bat. The upper roller is secured on a shaft which has its bearings in boxes Z, ar ranged on and adjustable along the bars d, to or from the drum H and to or from the lower roller L. The boxes Z are formed with slots m, through which threaded bolts n are secured to bars d, and fasteningnuts are run thereon to hold the boxes in their adjusted positions. The lower roller L is carried by a shaft which has its bearings in boxes M, arranged on the inclined bars N of the frame, said boxes M being formed with slots and bolts provided therefor, so that they may be adjusted on the rods N in a manner similar to boxes Z.

A condensing-roller O is arranged opposite the lower roller L and presses against the bat, passing therebetween. The shaft of roller 0 is journaled in the curved arms P, which are pivotally suspended or hung from the uprights Q at each side of the casing, the lower ends of said arms being formed with openings through which a threaded rod R extends and has its end loosely attached to a lug p on the boxes M. At the outer or free' ends of the rods R coiled springs .S are .arranged which bear against the ends of the arms P and are held in place onisaid rodsand 1 their tension adjusted by means of the thumbnuts T, run on the ends of said rods R.

The driving mechanism consists ofa, ulley U, secured on the drum-shaft b,w ich may be connected. toany. suitable prime mover. The shaft 6 also carries a sprocketwheel W, which by means of a chain W 0111)- erates both receiving-rollers K L and t e condensing-roller As shown, the chain passes from wheel W over a sprocket-wheel 2 on the shaft of'roller K, and thence over a smaller sprocket-wheel W on the shaft of the condensin roller 0, and thence over a I machinery being sufficient to carryitthrough said chute, and it is carried down between,

' along, so as to free it from any dirt or trash by the fingers on the drum, which also loosens sprocket-whee W on the shaft of roller L,-

and thence back to the sprocket-wheel W.

The cotton is received into ,the casing through chute D, the blast frornthe ginning the drum and concaved screen-byithe fingers on the drum, and it is beaten as it is carried the fibers, so that it is thrown upwardly in the casing and over the upper receivingroller K, upon which it falls, and assaid roller K is rotating in the samedirection as the drum it carries the roll down pastcthe drum I the press in an even uniform bat.

gers act to prevent the cotton comm 111-0011 and between the rollers K and L, the latter rotating in the opposite direction torollerK, and the bat is carried between the roller L and condensing-roller O and is delivered to tact with the body of the drum and c osing or clogging the perforations therein, and thus permits the currents ofair from the gin, to pass freely through the perforations inthe drum at all times. This materially aids in the throwingoff of the cotton, since the currents of air from the gin arenot broken by the padding down of the cotton on the drum.

i Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 'is

1. In cotton cleaning and condensing machine, comprising acasing, a beater-drum, a

concave screen arranged below said drum, rece1v1ng-rollers to receive the cotton from saiddrum, and a condensing-roller operating in conjunction with one of the receiving-rollers to exert pressure on the bat as it leaves said receivingrollers.

2. A cotton cleaning and condensing maj chine, comprising a casing, a drum provided with fingers, a concavescreen arranged below said drum, means for adjusting said drum toward said screen, receiving-rollers adapted to receive the cotton from said drum, and a ,condensing roller operating in conjunction 1 with one of the receiving-rollers to exert pressure on the bat as it leaves said receivingrollers 3. A cotton cleaning and condensing machine, comprising a caslng, a drum having beating-fingers secured thereon, a concave screen arranged below said drum and rovided with ribs, adjustable receiving-r0 lers adjacent said drum, and an adjustable condensing-roller operating in conjunction with .one of the receiving-rollers to exert pressure on the bat as it leaves said receiving-rollers.

4. A cotton cleaning and condensing machine, comprising a casing, a perforated drum having beating-fingers, a concaved screen having ribsarranged below said drum, means for adjusting said drum toward or from said screen, receiving-rollers, means for ad usting 

